Expressing Anger Over the Price of Gum

Why do some (i.e. “a lot”) of people feel the need to express their anger even when it will serve no positive purpose at all?

I was in one of those little “Hudson News” type places in an airport recently, perusing the magazines. While there, I overhear this exchange at the counter:

Woman: I’d like this gum.
Counter Guy (after ringing it up): That’s $2.91.
Woman: $2.91?!?
Counter Guy: Yes.
Woman: For Gum?!?
Counter Guy: Yes.
Woman: That’s a rip off!
Counter Guy: –
Woman: You know that, right?!
Counter Guy: (*shrug*)

The woman plunks down her money and leaves with the gum, muttering under her breath all the way out of the store. Through this entire exchange I have been doing my best to avoid eye contact, lest I get asked one of those, “you agree with me, right?” questions. Or worse: she starts muttering to me about what a rip off it is hoping I will validate her anger. No, I am too wily to be caught in either of those traps.

I found this amusing, sad, and educational, all at the same time.

First off, is $2.91 for a pack of gum (even a fancy pack like she was buying) waaaaay too much? Sure. But that’s not the point.

The point, to me, is the insanity and stupidity of people who express their anger purely for the sake of expressing their anger.

Look, I get it: the world can be a tough place, and people will do stupid and annoying things. But I fully believe that if people could learn to properly control their anger and express them in appropriate ways, the world would be a better place.

The woman was angry that the gum was so expensive. Maybe she was justified. But what was she hoping to achieve by getting all pissy in the store? Did she think she was at a flea market or Moroccan street vendor where her disdain would get him to drop the price?

My favorite part was her trying to get him to admit that it was a rip off. What would she have done if he said “yes”? Anything different at all? I doubt it. What would she have done if he said “no, it’s not a rip off at all”? I am guessing that at that point her head would have exploded (upon reflection, I would have liked to have seen that…)

Her expressing her anger accomplished nothing positive. Instead, it:

1. Just ruined her mood
2. Created an uncomfortable environment around her (and probably more so for the poor schmoe who has to to sit next to her on the plane and will have to hear her go on about the injustice of overpriced gum)
3. Made her look stupid (at least to me)

A much healthier response would be to simply laugh at the ridiculousness of the gum price and then either a) pay the money because the gum, in that instant, is worth $2.91, or b) not buy it because it is not. In the future, buy your gum in advance and stop bitching about it. Simple.

Anger is a natural emotion and has some positive uses. It can motivate us to action. It can give us much needed adrenaline when physically threatened. An it can fuel our progress. But in most cases, our anger does nothing more than make our lives harder, increase our stress and blood pressure levels, and ruin our relationships.

Laugh, let it go, and life will be much more pleasant for you and everyone else.